Inspiration and Resources for the Home and Classroom Mission Field

“Grateful I Can Choose” A Month of Gratitude Day 1

What are you grateful for? When presented with this question there are many obvious options that come to mind automatically. Family, a home, friends, food, a job, etc are all some of the first things many of us think of when considering gratitude. This time of year typically has us juggling Christmas shopping, holiday plans, and contemplation. I think there are seasons in our life when we realize the later is most important. I’m contemplating what I am grateful for in my life and I want to stretch outside the obvious first 5-10 answers and dig a little deeper because there are so many blessings that are easy to take for granted. When we realize some of the gifts we have, the door is open to true joy. A month of reflection and time in the word begins here:

Day 1 – I can choose

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

The key verbs in this verse are serving, choose, will serve, are living, and again WILL SERVE. Serving the Lord is a choice that’s made daily. We get to choose. This passage also commands that we choose whom we will serve. Ultimately, whether we are intentional or not, we will serve someone or something.

There are a lot of things in this life that I can’t control; but I can decide to walk with the Lord. I may not know why people around me make the choices that they make, and they may break my heart, but I control my own choice. I also get to decide for my household. My child will hear worship in our home, the stories about Jesus, the lessons about striving for Christ-like character, and will learn how to love from me as I glean from the Word. This will happen in my home every single day that I choose to serve the Lord. Also, my husband will be uplifted and our home will be his sanctuary every day that I choose to serve the Lord.

Confession: I had not chosen to serve everyday for quite some time. Why? Because, life happens and I allowed distractions and complacency. I never flat out rejected God or chose rebellion, but I didn’t choose to serve daily. Imagine a marriage in which one spouse gets lazy and complacent, albeit stays “faithful” and around, while the other spouse longs for companionship and passion. The relationship suffers not because one party did something terribly wrong but because nothing was happening. Imagine the decline in this partnership. Same with being complacent in a walk with the Lord.

Good news: I get to choose this day whom I will serve. I’m not bound by yesterday, though I may have suffered the consequence of distance, today I get to choose. So today I will choose. The same goes for tomorrow, and the next, and the next because it’s a choice. It’s an action. It is not something that just happens to me or you. It’s a choice.

I’m thankful today that I can choose for myself and my HOUSE whom we WILL serve.

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